Follow Tenders & Trails!

Hey! I'm Jillian Bejtlich. I’m a lifelong New Englander with a serious love of the outdoors, adventure, and a pretty serious inability to sit still. I’m plagued by the travel bug, and it seems I’ll try any relatively sane and safe thing once. My big goal in life: Get people outside!

About

Hey there and welcome to Tails from the Trails!! I’m Jillian and I’m glad you’re here. Tails from the Trails is focused on promoting New England’s great outdoors and adventures… with a canine twist. Contrary to popular belief we have more than outlets and lobsters, and I’m hoping to help change that perception article by article. We have everything from sky diving to white water rafting to ice climbing, and it’s time to share just how awesome we are. Read on and get adventuring!

In the beginning…

Way back in 2011 (which seems like forever ago), I started this blog as a way to share my experiences as I embarked on a snowboarding sabbatical. Back then, the blog was known as Tenders & Trails – a homage to ski area food and trails. As time went on, this blog grew to encompass all sorts of adventures and activities. Eventually, my dogs joined in on the adventures and it was clear: life is much better with dogs. And so, Tails from the Trails happened.

Who’s behind Tails from the Trails?

Everyone! Well, here’s the cast you’ll see a lot of:

Jillian is a lifelong New Englander with a serious love of the outdoors, adventure, and a pretty serious inability to sit still. I grew up bouncing around from campground to campground and spending my weekends in NH State Parks. In 2010 I decided to spend a year committed to the ‘Yes Man’ challenge (say ‘yes’ to any reasonably relatively safe and sane opportunity) and soon found myself loving the outdoors and extreme activities even more. I’m an avid outdoorswoman with a love of hiking, snowboarding, kayaking, rock climbing, and generally anything that comes my way.

Rob is the other half of the dynamic Jillian-Rob duo and definitely the more daring. Rob has a love of all things fast and motorized, so he spends his summers boating and winters snowmobiling. He’s wicked picky about food, but he won’t back down from any challenge thrown his way (such as jumping off a 65′ cliff or rappelling down sketchy routes) and he’s perfected the art of ignoring me when I get whiny and tired. 😉

Yuri is our southern rescue boy. We’re pretty sure he’s a purebred Siberian Husky, but we haven’t told him he’s a dog. He’s entirely convinced he’s just a slightly fuzzy child. Yuri joined our family in 2011 as a terrified, malnourished, and abused boy who had been thrown from home to home and shelter to shelter. Yuri would like you to know that he is not a wolf despite his size or color – and besides, do wolves wear backpacks? He’d also like you to know that he loves soccer balls, snow, boating, pizza crust, and french fries more than anything. Nicknames: Bear, Fuzz Butt

Kina is our almost Canadian fur child. In 2013, we made the decision to add another furry child to our family as it became super clear that Yuri needed another dog in the house. We hit a lot of obstacles while trying to adopt again and ended up falling head over heels for a mischievous red headed malamute baby from a wonderful breeder in northern Vermont. Kina is a total diva/alpha, and is convinced that she is in fact in charge of the household. Kina would like you to know that she has an unexplained love of beer (IPA’s to be specific), drywall, squeakers, and everything mom doesn’t want her to get into. Nicknames: Beast, Bambina, Princess

Let’s collaborate!

We’re totally keen on collaboration of any sort whether it’s reviewing products, venues, or experiences. I’ve done a number of reviews so far ranging from kayaks to ski areas to whitewater rafting journeys. All have been well received by readers and almost always rank highly in search results. If you think my blog might be a good place for a review about what you have to offer, let me know!

Oh yes please! Jay Peak was phenomenal and I can’t wait to head back again. It was an absolutely incredible mountain especially right at the summit. Let me know this winter when you think you’ll be headed up and I’m definitely in!